Recovery looks different for everyone, but it’s a key piece in any wellness routine. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced athlete, taking the time to properly recover from your workouts is crucial for achieving your goals.
Exercising puts a lot of stress on our muscles and joints, which causes micro-tears in our muscle fibers. If we don’t give our bodies enough time to recover, these micro-tears can accumulate and lead to fatigue or injury.
Recovery doesn’t necessarily mean taking the day off. There are plenty of active recovery tools that you can use to help your body recover quicker, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready for your next workout.
Active Recovery vs. Passive Recovery
Active recovery involves low-intensity exercise following a strenuous workout. This could include a low-intensity exercise like walking, yoga or swimming. Active recovery can be more beneficial than resting completely because it helps keep the blood flowing and helps muscles recover faster.
Benefits of Active Recovery
- Reduces lactic acid buildup in muscles
- Eliminates toxins
- Keeps muscles flexible
- Reduces soreness
- Increases blood flow and speeds up recovery
Sometimes your body really does need a day off, and this is where passive recovery comes into play. Passive recovery allows your body to recover from physical activity without actively doing anything. This can include things like rest, sleep, stretching or using heat to aid in the recovery process.
Benefits of Passive Recovery
- Reduces muscle soreness
- Promotes relaxation
- Prevents overtraining
- Reduces risk of injury
- Improved overall recovery
Recover with Renew
Don’t let aches and pains derail your goals, try a recovery session and learn how our team can help you stay injury-free and maintain optimal gym performance. Recovery sessions can involve a combination of active and passive techniques. We have a variety of recovery treatments and hands-on therapies to help repair soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments), improve mobility and decrease inflammation.
Recovery sessions are tailored to the individual and their goals, but could include the following recovery treatments combined with active recovery exercises:
Manual Stretching - used to activate muscles and joints, regain mobility and promote recovery.
Cupping - used to promote muscle recovery, relieve muscle tension and tightness, relax the muscle and promote mobility.
Dry Needling - helps relax the muscles, reduces inflammation and boosts blood flow to trigger a healing response and accelerate recovery.
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization - utilizes a tool to scrape the muscles to help relieve knots and improve soft tissue tightness.
Percussion Therapy - uses a tool, like a massage gun, to apply rapid and repetitive pressure to specific areas. It can help reduce muscle pain, improve range of motion and accelerate recovery.
Electrical Stimulation - electrical pulses are sent to sensory nerves that block out pain. It can aid in the recovery process by helping to decrease pain and encourage muscle relaxation.
Normatec Compression Therapy - helps to increase blood flow to the muscles, which in turn can reduce soreness and inflammation, and promote healing.
Recover with Renew and keep your fitness routine on track! Book a session with one of our licensed physiotherapists and learn which recovery treatments will help you return to your activities faster. Your body will thank you!
